lip

\ ˈlip

Definition of lip

(Entry 1 of 4)

1 : either of two fleshy folds that surround the mouth in humans and many other vertebrates and are organs of human speech essential to certain articulations also : the red or pinkish margin of the human lip

2 slang : back talk

3a : a fleshy edge or margin (as of a wound)

b : labium

c : labellum sense 1

d : a limb of a labiate corolla

4a : the edge of a hollow vessel or cavity

b : a projecting edge: such as

(1) : the beveled upper edge of the mouth of an organ flue pipe

(2) : the sharp cutting edge on the end of a tool (such as an auger)

(3) : a short spout (as on a pitcher)

c : edge sense 2

5 : embouchure

lip

adjective

Definition of lip (Entry 2 of 4)

1 : insincere lip praise

2 : produced with the participation of the lips : labial lip consonants

lip

verb

lipped; lipping

Definition of lip (Entry 3 of 4)

transitive verb

1 : to touch with the lips especially : kiss

2 : utter

3 : to lap against : lick

4 : to hit (a putt) so that the ball hits the edge of the cup but fails to drop in —usually used with out

intransitive verb

: to hit the edge of the cup without dropping in —used with outthe putt lipped out

lip-

combining form

variants: or lipo-

Definition of lip- (Entry 4 of 4)

: fat : fatty tissue : fatty lipoid lipoprotein

Other Words from lip Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about lip

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Examples of lip in a Sentence

Noun He had a cut on his lip. She was nervously biting her lip. the lips of a wound the lip of a crater the lip of a pitcher Adjective part of the ritual of the awards ceremony is the nominee's lip praise for the performances of his or her competitors Verb the waves, reflecting the red glow of the sunset, gently lipped the prow

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Back to the soundtrack: As this sound is made with the mouth open, it cannot be managed while the lips are planted on a cheek. — Judith Martin, Washington Post, "Miss Manners: What’s up with that air-kiss noise?," 31 Dec. 2019 For those willing to break from tradition, the spring 2020 runways offered a bold alternative: a velvety swipe of black across the lips. — New York Times, "The Modern Appeal of Black Lipstick," 27 Dec. 2019 On July 26, the woman had called police to her apartment after the man, 31, used a fist to hit her in the lip. — cleveland, "Drunk woman attempts to stab man after telling him baby is not his: Cleveland Heights police blotter," 21 Dec. 2019 Her son, 31-year-old Brandon Twilley, was shot in the arm and the lips. — Carol Robinson | Crobinson@al.com, al, "‘Extremely dangerous’ murder suspect Adam Isom captured by Birmingham police," 21 Dec. 2019 So the configuration of the vocal tract – the resonating tube of the throat and mouth, from the vocal folds to the lips – determines the sound. — Louis-jean Boë, The Conversation, "Examining how primates make vowel sounds pushes timeline for speech evolution back by 27 million years," 11 Dec. 2019 Both corners of the eyes are full of glittery smidgins and the rest of the face (minus the lips) are set for a natural look. — Emy Rodriguez Flores, Redbook, "15 Beauty Looks to Wear For New Year's Eve," 9 Dec. 2019 Wiersma said at the meeting that paleontologists may have had the faces of these iconic dinosaurs all wrong: Instead of the lizardlike lips shown in artists' concepts, the behemoths likely sported beaks as well as teeth, unlike any living animal. — John Pickrell, Science | AAAS, "Sauropods grew big by munching ‘superfoods’ with sturdy beaks," 17 Oct. 2019 At 11:30 the music swelled, and The Late Show’s Gospel Choir appeared at the lip of the balcony. — Carl Swanson, Town & Country, "How the Apparatus Boys Became the Pied Pipers of Design," 3 Oct. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Live music, fresh cut Christmas tree market, lip sync battle and more. — Luann Gibbs, Cincinnati.com, "Things to do this week in Cincinnati: Dec. 2-8," 2 Dec. 2019 Michelle Obama debuted Glossier's new lip gloss at Essence Fest Saturday night with lip gloss masterfully applied by make-up artist, Carly Ray. — Michelle Li, Teen Vogue, "This New Glossier Lip Gloss Is Michelle Obama Approved," 9 July 2019 With thick, fake eyelashes, bedazzled gel extension nails, exaggerated lip makeup and flashy jewelry, YouTube star Natalie Wynn opens the first few minutes of one recent video dressed in drag. — Hallie Miller, baltimoresun.com, "This Baltimore YouTube star wants to change minds about transgender issues, one absurd costume at a time," 25 Oct. 2019 There are also lip jellies, made with apricot kernel oil, rosemary leaf and sunflower extract, and the BeachPlease Luminous Tinted Balm for cheeks and lips. — Kavita Daswani, Los Angeles Times, "Colorful fashion. Social causes. Jaden Smith teams up with Stance on new themed pop-up shop," 19 Sep. 2019 But Ponthier uploaded another addressing the new and growing lip trend and videos comparing it to the 2015 Kylie Jenner lip challenge. — Kalhan Rosenblatt, NBC News, "No, teens on TikTok are not super gluing their lips," 18 Sep. 2019 TikTok is a smartphone app in which users can capture short videos of themselves, usually lip syncing or dancing to popular songs. — NBC News, "Tiktok bans political and advocacy advertising from its platform," 3 Oct. 2019 Devgan says that women with long philtrum distances often choose lip fillers and don't realize lip fillers aren't the best solution in their case. — Halie Lesavage, Harper's BAZAAR, "What Is a Lip Lift?," 26 Aug. 2019 Videos of police officers lip-syncing and dancing around their respective stations earned two suburban departments national recognition as part of a television network special this week. — Jennifer Johnson, chicagotribune.com, "Skokie, Niles police turn lip-sync challenge into national fame," 12 Sep. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb From education to women empowerment and environmental awareness, TikTok India has been promoting hashtags and initiatives that reflect its desperation to appear socially responsible and offer more than just dance and lip-sync videos. — Niharika Sharma, Quartz India, "TikTok is desperate for an image makeover in India after a brush with the law for porn content," 8 Dec. 2019 Titans coach Thomas Cieplik said Perakis had a chance to win the title outright on the final hole, but her birdie putt lipped out, leaving her with a tap-in for par. — Steve Sadin, chicagotribune.com, "Golf state notes: Glenbrook South’s Maria Perakis vows to return after losing tiebreaker for 2A title," 21 Oct. 2019 But Thomas bogeyed the 17th after his 12-footer for par lipped out, reducing the deficit to two strokes. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Justin Thomas wins 11th PGA Tour event, 2nd in South Korea," 20 Oct. 2019 The collection, priced at $49, includes a liquid eyeshadow, lip liner, and lip gloss. — Jenna Rosenstein, Harper's BAZAAR, "Lady Gaga Just Released a Makeup Collection Inspired By Her "A Star Is Born" Premiere Look," 10 Dec. 2019 But Thomas bogeyed the 17th after his 12-footer for par lipped out, reducing the deficit to two strokes. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Justin Thomas wins 11th PGA Tour event, 2nd in South Korea," 20 Oct. 2019 Instead, five female models and five male models lip synced the lyrics. — Paul Grein, Billboard, "How Did Some of the Greatest Videos of All Time Fare at the VMAs?," 22 Aug. 2019 Princess Alice was deaf from birth, and could apparently lip read in several languages. — Amy Mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "The Incredible True Story of Prince Philip's Mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg," 17 Nov. 2019 Certain musical elements serve as TikTok catnip: bass-heavy transitions that can be used as punch lines; rap songs that are easy to lip-synch or include a narrative-friendly call and response. — Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, "How TikTok Holds Our Attention," 23 Sep. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lip.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

9 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Lip.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lip. Accessed 21 January 2020.

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More Definitions for lip

lip

noun

English Language Learners Definition of lip

: either one of the two soft parts that surround the mouth

: the edge of a cut or hole

: the edge of a container especially where it is slightly spread out

See the full definition for lip in the English Language Learners Dictionary

lip

noun

\ ˈlip

Kids Definition of lip

1 : either of the two folds of flesh that surround the mouth

2 : the edge of a hollow container (as a jar) especially where it is slightly spread out

3 : an edge (as of a wound) like or of flesh

4 : an edge that sticks out the lip of a roof

lip

noun

\ ˈlip

Medical Definition of lip

1 : either of the two fleshy folds which surround the opening of the mouth in humans and many other vertebrates and in humans are organs of speech essential to certain articulations also : the pinkish or reddish margin of a human lip composed of nonglandular mucous membrane and usually exposed when the mouth takes on its natural set

2 : an edge of a wound

3 : either of a pair of fleshy folds surrounding an orifice

4 : an anatomical part or structure (as a labium) resembling a lip

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